LINDENWOLD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A little more than a week into its overnight cleaning closures, PATCO officials said the effort is already paying off.
“You’re making a difference. Thank you for making a difference,” John Hanson, CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority, told PATCO maintenance workers in Lindenwold early Wednesday morning. He thanked them for cleaning and repairing trains and stations overnight.
Since Sept. 1, PATCO has shut down its train service and stations between midnight and 4:30 a.m. so crews can make repairs and clear trash, graffiti and urine.
Eulisis Delgado, a PATCO custodian for 31 years, said while he treats homeless people on the system with respect, they can’t stay.
“PATCO is not babysitters for the county,” he said. “We are here to keep our trains clean and keep the region moving for the working people.”
DRPA chair James Schultz said he’s seen an improvement already.
“I took the system today from 15th-16th and Locust over here to Lindenwold. It was a great ride. The place was spotless. There was no more graffiti,” he said. “[But] there’s a lot more work to be done in terms of infrastructure and other things in those stations.”
The overnight cleaning program is a six-month pilot program. However, Schultz said if the closures are necessary to keep the system clean, they will continue as long as necessary.